25 Gibbes

Just got my 30 Gibbs back from the gunsmith. Was thinking between the AI and the Gibbs. Went with the Gibbs because of higher case capacity and it is a "named" wildcat. Performance is very close to the same for either.

Out of a 30" barrel I would expect either improved cases to be 200 to 300fps over a conventional 25-06 and 100gr bullets.

The Gibbs has a 0.25" neck and a 40deg shoulder. The AI can be a variety of dimensions so you will have to see what reamer your gunsmith has. Either should feed the same (good or bad). The AI will have a slightly longer neck for what that's worth.

AI should be able to use 25-06 ammo if necessary. The Gibbs will need to be fireformed properly (shoulder moved forward). Performance between the two are very similar with the Gibbs possibly being faster. Both should be equally accurate..or not.

I have a 40x single shot action in 220 swift and was thinking of getting a 30" barrel for a switch barrel to 25 Gibbes or 25-06 AI. I was wondering witch one of these would be a better choice for varmints out to 1100 meters and a carry gun for deer out to 700 meters. What kind of velocity could be expected with this set up with 100g ballistic tips? What twist would I need 10 or 12 from lilja?

Maybe I can offer some input. Just from tinkering around with my numbers, it looks like the Gibbs has a similar powder/bore-area ratio as a .30-378, give or take, so if I were GUESSING, I'd say you could expect about the same number of rounds, or slightly less, given the smaller bore area &lt;the heat transfer, from the way I understand it, is not directly proportional.&gt; However, I have a friend that has been shooting a 25 Gibbs, and he is on his second season, and to my knowledge has over 1300 rounds through it. I have not seen any groups of his posted in some time, although last I saw, it was still posting sub-1/2 MOA groups on occasion &lt;shooter error brings in the "occasion" term! .&gt; He was running...H870, I think, with Sierra's 120gr. BTs. I don't know the exact charge, but I guess it was around 70+ grains. He's using a 28" Krieger, I believe. Hope that helps you some.

Say, Crow Mag, just for amusement, what type of bullet had you thought on possibly using? I keep having day-dreams of building a quarter-bore, but it's the selection of bullets that seems to be messing with my head. I DID do some work with a custom .257 WBY using Berger's 115gr VLDs -- those are very nice bullets, if big game is not on the agenda. I found best luck, involving those bullets, with a 1-10.5 twist &lt;Krieger barrel&gt;. A 1-11 worked for early fall, but as soon as temps dropped below about 30...I might as well have been using the Benelli. I do NOT load to max, however, as barrel life was a concern.

I was thinking of the Nosler 100g. I think the Berger would be a good one for varmints and punching paper. I have been looking at the BC and they are not impressive but if launched at 3500fps with a BC of .522 for the Berger it is very flat to 1100 meters needing 28 MOA to make the trip I have a 6.5/284 but wanted something faster.
Crow Mag

Hum, an interesting choice. Yes, the 115gr Bergers would be quite flat-shooting. I HAVE used them on big game [one animal], but...I'm not sure if I would again. The problem is that it's just such a frail bullet. Mind you, it killed Rudolph's babe instantly, but I found the wound-channel disturbing; the bullet had fragmented about two inches in, and it was clear pieces had come off on the way through. Yes, the bullet exited, with a hole about 1.25" in diameter, and I wasn't able to recover it &lt;damn&gt;. The doe was shot at 247 yards with the .257 Wby I mentioned above, and it's mainly why I'd be a little hesitant to proclaim it as excellent medicine. Who knows, maybe I just need to blast more deer with that combo? One final note; the 115gr. VLDs I had were very nice, but did seem to have the tendency to strip cores if pushed fast enough. I understand Nosler's have a thicker jacket--just about all other makers do, from my experiences, although--damn it anyways--when I need accuracy, the Bergers have never slipped me the friends.

You may want to consider that gibbs in 264 for long range. I have both and like the 264 the best. The ballistics seem to be a bit better with a better selection of high BC bullets. Ballistics will be similar to a 264 winchester. I have the gibbs design in all calibers from 240 to 358. They are the best thing I have found on a standard action. They will virtually equal there standard magnum counterparts until you get into stuff off the 8mm rem mag or the 300 wby case size.

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